


The Forgotten Conversation

by Fiddlerinthewoods



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Advice, Conversations, Friendship, Wisdom, i'll just make my own, if no one is giving me wan content, shows up 10+ years late to writing atla fics with starbucks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:48:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23152012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fiddlerinthewoods/pseuds/Fiddlerinthewoods
Summary: Amidst the one-hundred years in the iceberg, Aang speaks with one of the prior Avatars.
Relationships: Aang & Wan
Comments: 3
Kudos: 82





	The Forgotten Conversation

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [A Word of Advice](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2296640) by [QueenPersephoneofHades](https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenPersephoneofHades/pseuds/QueenPersephoneofHades). 



> I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or Avatar: The Legend of Korra.
> 
> Enjoy!

There were one-hundred years of pure solitude. Being stuck in the Avatar State for one-hundred years was something not done before—an act so outrageous, one would call it insane. Impossible.

To Aang, everything seemed to happen in seconds.

He was flying through the storm, trying to lead Appa to safety, and the next minute, he was staring up at the face of a young Water Tribe girl—the entire spiritual conversation forgotten.

But between the freezing and the awakening, one-hundred years passed. Yet, they didn’t pass in silence.

Aang couldn’t see where he was, only that he was drifting aimlessly. He couldn’t move his body, but he found he didn’t need to. With his very thoughts, he could move around. Nothing hurt but his heart, which still banged with shame and sadness. All around him was comforting darkness.

“Hello Aang,” a voice behind the airbender said.

Turning, Aang stood before a young man. He wore a tattered long red scarf, and his dark hair was shoulder-length. A goatee covered his chin. His eyes, a deep copper, looked at Aang with nothing but knowledge.

“Who are you?” Aang stepped back, realisation and dread filling him. “You’re a previous Avatar!"

The man nodded. “I am. Nice to meet you. So, I don’t know why I’ve been called here—but I have a good theory. You should sit, I have a feeling we’ll be here for a while.”

Slowly, Aang sat down in front of the man. He was a far away distance to not be in arms reach, but he wasn’t rudely distant. “Who are you?”

“My name is Wan,” the man said. “I’m not the last Avatar, in case you’re wondering. Avatar Roku’s your mentor.”

“Avatar Roku?”

Wan nodded. “Yeah. 

“Generally, we’d never meet,” Wan continued. “My soul’s too ancient that people don’t call upon me. Sometimes it _does_ happen, like now. So, I haven’t had time to practice my ‘cheer up’ speech. So, what’s the matter? How can I help?”

Aang slightly slumped. “I don’t want to be the Avatar… I just want to be a normal kid.”

“I understand.” Wan lowered his head. “You were told that you’re the Avatar years before you should’ve. A sudden pressure placed on your shoulders is not a burden a child should carry.

“I won’t tell you that you have a duty to uphold,” Wan said after a moment of thinking, “which is a surprise to myself. Everyone in this world has a duty. A reason to strive for. I’m not your mentor, so you can think of me as a friend. We can talk about anything, Aang.”

“Anything?” the young boy asked, looking up at Wan.

“Anything at all. Your flying bison, your home, your future, a random dream you’ve had… anything.”

Aang opened his mouth to speak before closing it. “This isn’t a trick is it…? Trying to get me to accept I’m the Avatar.”

“I’ll never trick you, Aang,” Wan said. “I cannot force you to accept who you are—sometimes, we just have to accept the reality, acknowledge our mistakes, and continue on. But enough about that. Now, you’re Aang, the airbender—not Aang, the Avatar.”

Looking at his feet, Aang admitted, “I just wanted to be a normal kid… my friends all stopped playing with me when we heard I was the Avatar—the monks wanted to take me from _Gyatso!_ They wanted to strip me of my home so that I could train… I know I shouldn’t have left them—but I did! I turned my back on my people, and now I don’t know where I am…”

He looked up at Wan. “I don’t know what to do.”

For a moment, Wan didn’t say anything. Then, he spoke, “You’re lost. I was, once.”

“Really?” Aang wiped his eyes.

Wan nodded. “When I was younger, I did something irresponsible and rebellious—I stole fire from the Lion Turtle. And for my punishment, I was banished from my city to the Spirit Wilds. I spent the entire night there, trying to survive, using only my stolen fire as protection.

“I arrived at an oasis,” he continued, “guarded by a spirit. I tried entering, but the spirit didn’t allow humans through. Eventually, after some pestering, the spirits told me about the other cities in our land. I was lost, alone in the wilds, until I found people who gave me something to live for. I couldn’t return to my home, but I could make a new one.”

“Did you?” Aang wondered. “Did you make a new home in the city?”

“Not for a while,” Wan explained. “I made my new home with the spirits in the wilds. I only travelled to the cities to gain the elements. I met some airbenders, like you—they ran away before I could introduce myself.

“My point is that you’ll hit a block in your life, and you’ll seem to be at a low—but know that it gets better. I thought I would die in the Spirit Wilds, but I didn’t; I survived and made it my home.”

Aang curled in on himself. “But… I don’t know if I return… Gyatso will forgive me. I left—I abandoned my Avatar duties. I abandoned the world.”

“We all make mistakes, Aang,” Wan said. “The important thing is that we try to forgive, and to change. I don’t know if Gyatso will truly forgive you—” Aang looked away—“but if he cares for you as much as you care for him, he’ll be happy you’re safe and back home.

“Through my journey, I’ve learned many things.” Wan softly smiled at Aang. “I’ve made bigger mistakes than you, Aang, yet I was forgiven. There’s a reason you aren’t told you’re the Avatar until you’re of age—it’s too much pressure for a child. Childhood is when you’re supposed to grow, and learn, and have fun. Being the Avatar doesn’t mean you lose everything that makes you, _you—_ it just means that you have a different responsibility to the world.”

Aang still didn’t look at Wan. “I don’t want a different responsibility to the world… I just want to be a monk—I just want to be me!”

“And you will—you are,” Wan said. “Bringing peace and harmony to the world is a part of your belief, yes? Just because you get to learn about the different cultures, bending, and way of life, doesn’t mean you have to abandon everything you are. No matter what happens to you, Aang, you will always be who you strive to be.”

“Easy for you to say,” Aang muttered.

Wan didn’t say anything. He looked at Aang, solemn understanding in his eyes. Slowly, he stood and bowed. “Being the Avatar shouldn’t be something you despise. If it is, then I apologise.”

Looking at him, surprised, Aang asked, “What? Why?”

Wan straightened as Aang got to his feet. “It was never my intention to burden you with this. I know you don’t see it now, Aang, but you’ll be a _great_ Avatar—you have the heart of one. There is nothing worse in this world than an Avatar with a heart for war and destruction.”

“You shouldn’t bow to _me_!” Aang quickly said, waving his hands. “If anything, I should bow to _you_ —you’re an Avatar!”

“And so are _you_ , whether you’re ready to accept it or not,” Wan pointed out. “My time has been over for as long as the Avatar Cycle has begun. All that is left is my guidance, and my abilities. I’m the spirit of the deceased Avatar—while you’re the living Avatar. If anyone is to bow, then it should be I to you.”

Aang clutched his arm, not meeting Wan’s eyes. “I don’t think I’m ready to be the Avatar.”

“No one ever is.”

Catching the man’s eyes, Aang didn’t say anything. Deep copper gazed down into stormy grey.

“You’re the bridge between the spirits and the humans,” Wan said. “You protect everyone, and provide balance and harmony. But no one’s ever ready to be the Avatar—you can learn to accept your position, but no one’s born ready. It takes years of learning, of practice and acceptance, to become a master Avatar. I can tell now, Aang, that you’re not ready. You have a strong spirit—if you didn’t, I wouldn’t be talking to you now—but you’re still young. You’re still growing and learning.”

“Were you?” Aang softly asked. “Were you ready?”

Wan stepped towards Aang, kneeling down in front of him. “No. The first time I used all four elements, I nearly died—and I passed out. But I trained, and I prepared myself to become stronger—to be able to defeat the evil who threatened my world.

“I’ve seen every Avatar grow and learn,” Wan continued. “I’ve seen them at their lowest points, and at their strongest. Aang, you need to believe in yourself—you’re more ready than you realise. The most important thing is, you won’t be alone.”

“Yeah, apparently I have thousands of lifetimes now…”

“No.” Wan shook his head. “You won’t be alone, because you’ll have friends. People who’ll care about you, and want to be with you—whether you’re regular Aang, or Avatar Aang. Take it from me: friendships can make the most terrible circumstances bearable.”

Rubbing at his eyes, discovering that crying was impossible in the spirit world, Aang asked, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Anything.”

“What Avatar were you?”

Wan smiled. “I was the first Avatar.”

“What!?” Aang jumped back from Wan, who stood.

“I was the first Avatar. I started the Avatar Cycle.”

“What? How!?”

The darkness around them lightened, and Wan looked up. “I’ll tell you some other time. Aang, I have to go now. You may not remember our conversation, but remember that you’re not alone. Just because this is your burden, doesn’t mean you must bear it solo.”

“I understand…” Aang said. “And for the record, I think your ‘cheering up’ speech seemed practiced.”

Looking at Wan one last time, he saw the man smile.

With an enlightening _crack!_ cold bright light replaced the darkness.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
